The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-04-22
origion Of the Bald Robbers.

in CnrlSJldu COuAb9s JUL uOMu al Ian
ev. near the Arkansas line. 1t was
originally a band If regulators banded
10 aid in the enforcement of law, but
it went the way of every organization
of the kind ever instituted to take the
law into its own hands. 1t was neces-
sarily kept secret, and under secrecy
the evil-minded members soon gained
the upper hand, and the regulators
we're soon regulating private grudges
and arbitrating very primevelly be-
tween quarrelling parties, always
against the party who happened not to
be a regulator. They took their aame
from a meeting place of the regulators
on top of a knob or knole bare of tim.
Der called a bald knob. The organiza-
ton 500 spread from fancy county in.
to Douglas and this county. 1t spread
like all movements in a course with.
the waterways of the country. 1t came
up Bull and Swan creeks, and further
up it anne the worse it got, until here
in this county the people were absolute
" terrorized and afraid, as the saying
is, Ito say their souls weretheir own"
Persons Objectionable to certain parties
in the order were pulled out of bed in
the middle of the night and whipped
with hicory switches and ordered to
leave the country. Often times the
reason of the visit was given. More
often it was not. 1t came to such a
pass that every n was in dread of a
visit from the Bald Knobbers, and mem
bers of the order had things their own
way through dark hints and threats of
what they could do if they wanted to
use their power. The old ku kluxers
were but little worse. and there is no
doubt that the Bald Knobbers would
have outdone them in their regulatory
proceedings had not the officers so
promptly got after these lawless en-
forcers of the law and broke the back
bone of the organization. When the
Bald Knobbers first began operations
here they were either openly applaud
ed for their work or were allowed to
go ON with it without protest, They
executed the laws freely, and in being
permitted to do so gained strength,
while the respect for the law or their
part decreased.
Bald Knobbers are bound by an oath
me- to reveal anything connected with
the organization, to obey the captain or
leader in anything he may direct. Inis
oath is taken in some lonely spot in the
woods, on the top of some steep knob
or in an old cave at midnight. He
stands in the middle of a circle of Bald
Knobbers, and with their masks on and
guns in their hands. Over bis head the
limb of q tree stretches and on that
limb a rope hangs down. A loop is
made at one end, and the others pull at
the other end until the rope almost
strangles him. Then standing on his
tip-toes, with his right hand held up
straight, with his left hand over his
heart and with a cooked shotgun at his
breast, he swears never to divulge and
always keep the secrets of the order, to
always obey the orders of the leaders
at any and all times, in any and all
things. failing in which he hopes he
may be killed dead by the most horri-
bic methods, and then the circle OF
masked men repeat the words, dead,
dead" '.dead,n and he is given the
hand Of fellowship.
The legion to which the greater mum
Der of those arrested last week belong.
ed met and initiated members IN de.
serted smelter. dogn near Chadwick,
a fire being built In the cenGeT .he
place and the members standing around
it in a circle. Many men have been
forced to join the order to protect them-
selves. and others. through fear, have
left the country. The Bald Knobbers'
proceedings in this county have beer
pretty well ventilated. but they are still
dominant IN fancy county where the
adopts Of the order and all the big
leaders hail front Mostly all the Bale
knobbers arrested are poor ignorant
men, who scarcely realize the encrmitJ
Of the offence charged against them
Twenty-sight men could not raise 81,
600. the fee asked by a Springfield law
yer to defend them, and their families
will be destitute without their support
st. Louis Globe Democrat.
More Criminal Carelessness.